# Vicari

> Italian comune

**Wikidata**: [Q496899](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q496899)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicari)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/vicari

## Summary

Vicari is an Italian comune (municipality) located in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. It sits at coordinates 37.8333° N latitude and 13.5667° E longitude, and serves as the administrative center for the surrounding territory. The comune includes the frazione (fraction/hamlet) of Santa Rosalia and is part of the administrative structure of the Province of Palermo, now superseded by the Metropolitan City of Palermo since August 2015.

## Key Facts

- **Official Name:** Vicari
- **Administrative Status:** Italian comune (municipal division)
- **Location:** Metropolitan City of Palermo, Sicily, Italy
- **Geographic Coordinates:** Latitude 37.833333333333° N, Longitude 13.566666666667° E
- **Administrative Changes:** Transferred from Province of Palermo to Metropolitan City of Palermo on August 4, 2015
- **Population:** 2,698 (most recent), 2,664, 2,440 (historical figures)
- **Country:** Italy
- **Subdivision Type:** comune of Italy
- **Website:** http://www.comune.vicari.pa.it
- **Wikipedia Title:** Vicari
- **Sitelink Count:** 50
- **Contains Frazione:** Santa Rosalia (sitelink count: 5)
- **Regional Context:** Located in Sicily, the largest island in Italy and one of the 20 Italian regions

## FAQs

**What type of administrative division is Vicari?**

Vicari is an Italian comune, which is the smallest administrative division in Italy, similar to a municipality or town council. Comuni are the fundamental territorial units of Italian administrative organization and have their own local government, mayor, and council.

**Which administrative region does Vicari belong to?**

Vicari is located in the region of Sicily, specifically in the Metropolitan City of Palermo. Prior to 2015, it belonged to the Province of Palermo, which was restructured into the Metropolitan City of Palermo on August 4, 2015, as part of Italian administrative reforms.

**What is Santa Rosalia in relation to Vicari?**

Santa Rosalia is a frazione (fraction or hamlet) of Vicari. A frazione is a sub-division of an Italian comune, typically a smaller settlement or village that falls under the administrative jurisdiction of the main municipal center. Santa Rosalia has 5 sitelinks, indicating its presence in approximately 5 language versions of Wikipedia.

**What are the population figures for Vicari?**

The population figures provided for Vicari are 2,698, 2,664, and 2,440, representing different census years. These figures indicate a declining population trend, which is consistent with demographic patterns seen in many smaller Italian rural municipalities.

**How can I find more information about Vicari?**

The official website of Vicari is http://www.comune.vicari.pa.it, which would provide local government information, services, and community details. The comune has a Wikipedia article (sitelink count: 50) and a Wikidata entry describing it as an Italian comune.

## Why It Matters

Vicari represents a fundamental unit of local governance in the Italian administrative system. As a comune, it serves as the primary interface between citizens and government at the local level, providing essential public services, maintaining civil records, and managing local infrastructure. The comune system in Italy, of which Vicari is a part, is crucial for understanding how Italy manages its complex territorial organization, balancing national cohesion with local autonomy.

The transition from Province of Palermo to Metropolitan City of Palermo in 2015 reflects broader Italian administrative reforms aimed at modernizing governance structures. This change impacts how Vicari relates to regional governance and receives administrative support from higher levels of government.

For those studying Italian geography, administration, or regional development, Vicari exemplifies the characteristics of smaller Italian municipalities—typically population centers in the range of a few thousand residents, serving as service hubs for surrounding rural areas. The presence of Santa Rosalia as a frazione demonstrates the nested administrative structure common throughout Italy, where smaller settlements maintain connections to larger municipal centers.

## Notable For

- **Administrative Structure:** Part of the Italian comune system, the fundamental territorial unit of Italian local government
- **Metropolitan City Location:** Located within the Metropolitan City of Palermo, one of Italy's newer administrative divisions established in 2015
- **Sicilian Context:** Situated in Sicily, the largest Italian region by area and home to over 5 million residents
- **Frazione Inclusion:** Contains Santa Rosalia as an administrative sub-division, demonstrating the layered governance structure of Italian municipalities
- **Digital Presence:** Has established online presence through its official website and Wikipedia coverage in multiple languages

## Body

### Geography and Location

Vicari is positioned at coordinates 37.833333333333° North latitude and 13.566666666667° East longitude, placing it in the central-southern portion of Sicily. The municipality falls within the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan City of Palermo, which serves as the administrative capital for the surrounding province. The terrain typical of this region in Sicily includes hills and agricultural land, consistent with the agricultural character of much of the Sicilian interior.

### Administrative History

The administrative status of Vicari has evolved with Italian governmental reforms. Originally part of the Province of Sicily, the comune transitioned to belong to the Province of Palermo, one of the nine provinces in Sicily. On August 4, 2015, as part of Italian Law No. 142/1990 and subsequent regional legislation, the Province of Palermo was restructured into the Metropolitan City of Palermo (Città Metropolitana di Palermo), a change that brought the administrative area in line with other metropolitan areas in Italy. This transformation reflects a broader European trend toward metropolitan governance structures designed to coordinate urban and regional development more effectively.

### Population and Demographics

The population figures for Vicari—2,698, 2,664, and 2,440—indicate a municipality of modest size, typical of the many small comuni that dot the Italian peninsula. These figures, while not dated in the source material, show a population decline, a phenomenon common in rural Italian municipalities where younger generations often migrate to larger cities for education and employment opportunities. The population size places Vicari in the category of small Italian comuni that serve as local service centers for surrounding agricultural communities.

### Administrative Structure and Related Entities

As an Italian comune, Vicari operates under the administrative framework that defines municipal governance throughout Italy. The comune system (plural: comuni) represents the lowest level of territorial administration in Italy, with each comune having its own mayor (sindaco) and council (consiglio comunale). These local governments handle matters including urban planning, civil status records, local taxation, and coordination of public services.

Vicari contains within its jurisdiction the frazione of Santa Rosalia. In Italian administrative terminology, a frazione is a distinct settlement or village that falls under the administrative authority of a larger comune. While Santa Rosalia may be a smaller population center, it maintains institutional connections to Vicari as its municipal seat. The frazione system reflects Italy's historical settlement patterns, where population centers often developed around historical villages, farms, or religious sites that later became incorporated into larger municipal boundaries.

### Relationship to Higher Administrative Levels

Vicari's place in the Italian administrative hierarchy flows from the national level down through regions, provinces/metropolitan cities, and finally to comuni. At the national level, Italy is a sovereign parliamentary republic and founding member of the European Union, with Rome as its capital. Sicily (Sicilia) is one of Italy's 20 regions, enjoying special autonomous status due to its island status and distinct historical identity.

The Metropolitan City of Palermo, established in 2015, serves as the intermediate administrative layer between the regional government and the comuni within its territory. This metropolitan structure coordinates economic development, transportation planning, and environmental management across the Palermo metropolitan area. The former Province of Palermo, which existed prior to 2015, had a sitelink count of 82, indicating substantial Wikipedia coverage, while the newer Metropolitan City of Palermo has 43 sitelinks.

### Online Presence and Digital Documentation

Vicari maintains a digital presence through its official website at http://www.comune.vicari.pa.it, following the standard convention for Italian municipal websites, which typically use the ".it" country code top-level domain and include "comune" (municipality) in their web addresses. The comune has a Wikipedia article with a sitelink count of 50, meaning the article exists in approximately 50 language versions of Wikipedia, providing international visibility for the municipality. The Wikidata entry for Vicari provides structured data describing it as an Italian comune, facilitating integration with other knowledge bases and data repositories.

### Cultural and Historical Context

While specific historical details are not provided in the source material, the presence of Santa Rosalia as a frazione suggests religious or historical significance. Santa Rosalia is the patron saint of Palermo, and numerous settlements throughout Sicily bear her name. The naming of settlements after saints is deeply embedded in Italian cultural and historical practice, reflecting the prominent role of the Catholic Church in Italian history and daily life.

The broader context of Vicari within Sicily places it in a region with extraordinary historical significance. Sicily has been ruled by various civilizations throughout history, including Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, and Bourbons, each leaving lasting impacts on Sicilian culture, architecture, cuisine, and dialect. The comune structure itself dates to the Napoleonic era when the Kingdom of Naples introduced French-style administrative divisions throughout its territories, a system that persisted after Italian unification in 1861.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. Italian National Institute of Statistics
4. [Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018. Italian National Institute of Statistics](http://demo.istat.it/pop2018/index3.html)
5. [Source](https://demo.istat.it/?l=it)
6. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
7. [Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011. Italian National Institute of Statistics](https://www.istat.it/it/archivio/156224)
8. Wiki Loves Monuments Italia
9. Seismic classification in Italy
10. [Source](https://rischi.protezionecivile.gov.it/it/sismico/attivita/classificazione-sismica)